HIMALAYAN GUARDIAN      July 11, 2012

Former king Gyanendra of Nepal wants to be reinstated

Kathmandu, July 10: Nepal's deposed king Gyanendra Shah has said for the first time that he wants to return to the throne, Xinhua reported.

In an interview, the former monarch told News 24 television channel that he had made an agreement six years ago with the country's political parties that he would be a constitutional monarch. But the government abolished the monarchy in 2008.

The ex-king said he did not want to be active in Nepal's politics, but did want a largely ceremonial role, BBC reported.

Shah's latest comments have come at a time when Nepal is amid political turmoil, with political parties finding it hard to agree on new constitution for the country.

"Monarchy may comeback if Nepalese people wish," Shah said.

"Country was suffering due to failure of the Constituent Assembly to deliver a constitution," Shah added.

The constituent assembly was recently dissolved after political leaders' failure to reach such an agreement. Fresh elections are planned for November. But Nepal is in a political vacuum at the moment.

On Saturday, Shah turned 66 and celebrated his birthday in a ceremony held at his residence in the capital.

Hundreds of well-wishers, relatives and pro-monarchist political activists were present at the function.

Rebel Maoist leader Baidya wants Bhattarai’s resignation

Kathmandu, July 10: Maoist leader Mohan Baidya has reiterated his call for immediate resignation of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai to resolve the political stalemate in Nepal.

Baidya, who broke away from the ruling United Communist Party of Nepal-Maoists to form his own Communist Party of Nepal – Maoist, is said to have asked for Bhattarai’s immediate resignation when he met Maoist leader Pushpa Kamal Dahal (Prachanda) here on Sunday.

The two leaders discussed on ways to come out from the present deadlock, reports said.

 “Prime Minister Baburam should tender his resignation first to move in the direction of forging consensus. To resolve the deadlock through revival of Constitution Assembly or to hold the CA election once again PM Baburam’s resignation should be the beginning point”, Baidya is quoted as saying.

The hardline faction of the Maoists led Baidya had earlier alleged that Maoist-led government has deviated from the party’s official line and has demonstrated “needless flexibility” with the “expansionists” and “imperialists”.

Meanwhile, former prime minister and United Marxist Leninist leader Madhav Kumar Nepal has also called for Bhattarai’s resignation.

He said Bhattarai’s excessive lust for power is pushing the country into further chaos and uncertainty.

“If we recall Baburam had claimed that he will tender his resignation within 45 days if he failed to meet the expectations. It has already been 9 months since he is stuck to power,” Nepal said and added, “This is one of the best examples of a Prime Minister’s naked lust for power.”

 “The only alternative for consensus is Prime Minister Baburam’s immediate resignation,” Nepal said.

Rail connectivity to link neighbouring countries with Northeast

Guwahati, July 10: India's landlocked northeast may soon have rail connectivity with the neighbouring countries of Bhutan, Myanmar and Bangladesh. This initiative is aimed at boosting bilateral trade, development and tourism in the region.

The Northeast Frontier Railway (NFR) has submitted a field survey report to the Railway Board which envisages connecting the northeastern states, Bihar and West Bengal with neighbouring countries, including Nepal reports reveal.

"We have already sent the report to the Railway Board and waiting for them to reply back to us, he added. There has been a long standing demand from the northeastern states for expanding the railway links to the neighbouring countries," said a senior NFR official.

The proposed rail lines include Jagboni in Bihar to Biratnagar in Nepal, New Jalpaiguri in West Bengal to Kakrabita in Nepal, Hasimara in West Bengal to Phuentsholing in Bhutan and Pathsala in Assam to Namlang in Bhutan.

The other proposed rail links are Rangiya in Assam to Samdrupjonkhar in Bhutan, Banarhat in West Bengal to Samtse in Bhutan, Agartala in Tripura to Akhaura in Bangladesh and Kokrajhar in Assam to Geleka in Bhutan, the official said.

There are also plan to connect Myanmar through Jiribam and Moreh in Manipur. "We are going to carry out the survey regarding the connectivity with Myanmar very soon," he said.

Editorial

CONDEMNABLE ACT

Cong Facing Graft Heat

The attack on RTI activist Akhil Gogoi by Congress supporters in Assam when Gogoi was inspecting the flood situation in that State is not only unwarranted but condemnable. Gogoi has been actively opposing the ruling Congress party in Assam for its various misdeeds, including corruption. As Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal put it, Gogoi  “is a credible voice against corruption” in the entire country. Only the UPA government at the Centre and State governments in the northeast know how corrupt they are. The Centre runs puppet governments in India’s neglected northeast the way the United States has been backing dictatorial regimes in the Middle East. One day these regimes will fall and then what.

The people in the Northeast are completely fed up with corruption in the administration and insensitive governments. There is a lack of credible leadership in this region where the people are torn between gun-wielding insurgents and corrupt politicians. Political parties – opposition as well as the ruling – in most of the States in the Northeast are hand-in-glove in corruption. The media’s role in any situation is to provide informations to the people; it cannot and must not get directly involved in public affairs. Conscious citizens, therefore, must form a third alternative to counter the present political scenario in the Northeast. There can be 

a ‘middle path’ if like-minded people come together and chalk out a different strategy for the people of the Northeast. At best the Press can and should become a catalyst towards achieving this goal, which not only will benefit the people in the region but the nation at large.

Lhasa, Lijiang to develop self-drive tourism along tea-horse route

The Tea-horse Ancient Road was considered a corridor of economic and cultural exchange for southwest China. Photo shows a train of horses carrying goods on the tea-horse road. [Photo Source: china.com.cn]

Tibet's capital of Lhasa and Yunnan Province Lijiang will develop a new self-drive route from Lijiang to Lhasa via Shangri-la and the Tea-horse Ancient Road, according to the Tourism Bureau of Lhasa City.

The project to open the 2,000-km Lijiang-Lhasa Route is designed to serve those travellers who prefer outdoor sports and are experienced in wildness survival, said Wang Ping, deputy director of the bureau.

It will take self-drive visitors about five days to reach Tibet by the route. They can also appreciate picturesque views and experience the profound cultural tradition along the world-famous Tea-horse Ancient Road.Once the project starts, supporting facilities such as service centers and gas stations will be built and if necessary, the Lijiang-Lhasa air route will be opened in the future, Wang added.

China, Bhutan want to establish diplomatic ties

China is willing to complete border demarcation with Bhutan at an early date

Meeting for the first time, Prime Ministers of China and Bhutan have expressed their willingness to establish diplomatic relations between the two countries and discussed measures to resolve border dispute.

Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao and his Bhutanese counterpart Jigmi Y Thinley had a surprise meeting on the sidelines of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development at Rio de Janeiro (last month) and expressed desire to establish diplomatic relations between the two neighbouring countries.

Thinley said his talks with Wen carry great historic significance as it marks the first meeting between the top leaders of the two governments, Chinese state-run news agency Xinhua quoted him as saying.

Wen told Thinley that China values the traditional friendship between the two nations and respects Bhutan's choice for its developmental path according to its own national conditions.

China pursues a foreign policy of good-neighbourliness and is ready to forge formal diplomatic relations with Bhutan on the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, Wen informed the Bhutanese leader.

China is willing to complete border demarcation with Bhutan at an early date and strengthen exchanges in various fields so as to push bilateral ties to a higher level, he said, appreciating "Bhutan's staunch support of China's position on issues concerning Taiwan and Tibet".

Stressing on the historic significance of their meeting, Thinley said that Bhutan wishes to forge formal diplomatic ties with China as soon as possible, the report said.

Thinley told Wen that Bhutan is willing to settle border issues with China in an cooperative manner, enhance bilateral economic and trade cooperation and people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges, and carry out close communication and coordination in international and regional affairs.

The Bhutanese, he said, highly appreciate China's endeavour to safeguard the common interests of developing countries in international and regional affairs.

Though neighbours, the two countries have not yet established diplomatic relations as Bhutan, a strongly ally of India, had remained aloof since 1951 after China took firm control of Tibet, which formed borders with Bhutan.

Relations between Beijing and Thimpu have traditionally remained strained following border dispute.

The two countries share about 470 km long contiguous borders and have held several rounds of talks to resolve the dispute and signed for the first time an agreement promising to 'Maintain Peace and Tranquillity on the Bhutan-China Border Areas,' in 1998.

Any settlement of the Bhutan-China border is significant for India as Chumbi Valley - a vital tri-junction between Bhutan, India and China border - is 500 km from Siliguri corridor and the "Chicken Neck" which connects India to its Northeast states and Nepal to Bhutan.

Indian strategic analysts say that the Chumbi Valley is of geo-strategic importance to China because of its shared borders with Tibet and Sikkim. (Deccan Herald)

Teesta Urja ends feud with Sikkim, gives 26% stake to State   

Teesta Stage III hydel power project site in Chungthang in North Sikkim. (right)

                             

Mumbai, July 10: Teesta Urja, which is developing the 1,200-mw Teesta III in North Sikkim, has resolved the long-standing dispute with the Sikkim Government by allocating 26% stake to it, paving the way for speedy execution of the project, sources involved with the development said.

In a board meeting on Friday, private developer Teesta Urja approved the transfer of around 30 crore shares, representing 26% stake, for a total consideration of Rs 296 crore, sources said. This comes at a time when the Sikkim Government has reportedly cancelled four hydropower projects, including the 280-mw Teesta I, due to local opposition and environmental issues, The Economic Times reported.

Teesta III too has been marred by delays after it was hit by an earthquake in 2011 and also due to a prolonged dispute between Teesta Urja and the Sikkim Government over allocation of shares.

"The shareholding issue has been resolved. This would help us in raising additional funds needed for the cost overruns and expedite the project so that we can commission it in September 2013, or latest by December," a top official from Teesta Urja told ET.

The cost of the project was originally pegged at Rs 5,700 crore, but it has gone up due to delays. However, company officials declined to comment on the quantum of additional cost. 

122 candidates file nominations for GTA polls

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with GJM’s Bimal Gurung and Roshan Giri (file photo)

Darjeeling, July 10: Filing of nominations for the July 29 Gorkhaland Territorial Authority (GTA) polls ended on Monday. The GJM has fielded candidates from all the 45 seats. The CPM has put candidates from 13 seats while the Trinamool Congress has put up its candidates in 18 constituencies.

The last date of withdrawal is July 12. Results will be declared on August 2 and the GTA formation would be completed by August 10, PTI reported.

GJM president Bimal Gurung has filed his papers from Tukvar, his native village in Darjeeling sub-division, while his wife Asha submitted her nomination for Darjeeling sadar seat. Party general secretary Roshan Giri filed his papers from Sitong Latpanchar in Kurseong sub-division. The GTA has total 45 seats — 22 in Darjeeling sub-division, 10 in Kurseong, 13 in Kalimpong.

A total of 122 candidates have filed nominations for the July 29 election to the 45-member Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA), the new body for governing the Darjeeling hills in northern West Bengal, officials said.

A total of 63 nominations were filed on Monday, the last day of filing nominations, the authorities said.

The three picturesque Darjeeling hill subdivisions of Darjeeling, Kurseyong and Kalimpong have been on the boil for nearly three decades due to anti-government protests over the demand for a separate state of Gorkhaland. The hills had witnessed killings, police crackdowns and long shutdowns which severely impacted the hills' economic mainstays - tea, timber and tourism.

On July 18 last year, a tripartite agreement was signed between the GJM, and the state and central governments for setting up a new autonomous,e lected GTA, a hill council armed with more powers than its predecessor, the Darjeeling Gorkha Hill Council (DGHC) formed in the late 1980s.

GTF out of hill contest, to stick to Gorkhaland demand

    GTF leaders with former Speaker PA Sangma

Kalimpong, July 10: The Gorkhaland Task Force (GTF) has decided not to contest the polls to the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration (GTA). It has decided to pursue its statehood demand.

The GTF said it would not contest the GTA polls because it sees the exercise as a ploy by the state to claim that people in the hills have given up the statehood demand.

“The GTA election is the ploy of the state government to establish that the hills and the 18 (added) mouzas have accepted GTA as an alternative to Gorkhaland,” said Anos Das Pradhan, the chief co-ordinator of the GTF.

 The GTF comprises of CPRM, ABGL, Bharatiya Gorkha Parisang, Gorkhaland Rashtra Nirman Morcha and the GNLF-C.

Pradhan said the GTF would work towards creating an opinion against the polls. “Those who take part in the election either as Independents or voters are all anti-Gorkhaland,” Pradhan said.

 He added that parties taking part in the polls would lose the moral authority to lead a movement in the name of Gorkhaland in the future.

Cong councillor held for assault on Team Anna member Akhil

Akhil Gogoi has been raising his voice against corruption: Kejriwal

Guwahati, July 10: RTI activist and Team Anna member Akhil Gogoi was attacked and critically injured by suspected youth Congress activists in Assam's Nalbari district on Friday.

Police on Saturday arrested Tapan Barman, Congress councillor of the 23 Pachim-Khetri Dharmapur Anachalik Panchayat, in connection with Friday’s attack on Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) general secretary Akhil Gogoi at Purni.

Barman has been remanded to the judicial custody by the court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Nalbari.

Gogoi, who had gone to Punni village in Dharmapur area of the district to take stock of the flood situation, was allegedly attacked with sticks and other sharp weapons, the police said.

Gogoi filed an FIR at the Nalbari police station alleging that the attack was carried out by six youth Congress activists at the behest of Assam Agriculture and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Nilamani Sen Deka, who represents Dharmapur Assembly constituency.

The 12-hour Nalbari district bandh called by the KMSS and supported by AGP and BJP and some other organisations, was peaceful and evoked mixed response in the district. It was total in Nalbari town and partial in other places of the district.

The Nalbari district unit of the AASU condemned the incident.

 A day after the attack, Team Anna member Arvind Kejriwal on Saturday slammed the Central government, saying that this was something the country cannot tolerate.

"Yesterday, Akhil Gogoi was attacked by some people in a village when he had gone to take stock of the flood situation in that particular place. It is being said that the people who attacked him were youth Congress workers. He was alone and it seems some media people protected him. With the kind of attack he faced, he would have been killed, if media persons had not saved him," Kejriwal said.

"He (Akhil Gogoi) is a credible voice against corruption. He has been raising his voice against corruption for many years,” Kejriwal said.

Mukherjee has majority support in Northeast: Cong

Agartala, July 10: UPA presidential candidate Pranab Mukherjee has won the support of all key regional parties in the Northeast, Congress leader Luizinho Faleiro said here on Saturday.

Of the eight north-eastern States, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Manipur are ruled by the Congress. The CPI-M rules Tripura, the Naga Peoples Front (NPF)-led Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) governs Nagaland while the Sikkim Democratic Front (SDF) is in power in Sikkim.

Faleiro, who is accompanying Mukherjee in his election campaign, told reporters: "(Mukherjee) met most Congress chief ministers, senior party leaders and leaders of the important regional parties."

Pranab visited Nagaland on Saturday and held a meeting with Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio and his colleagues in Dimapur. The working committee of the ruling Naga People's Front (NPF) had already endorsed its support for Pranab Mukherjee in its meeting in Kohima on Friday.

Rio said that his party and government are extending its support to the UPA government's candidate for the post of the President. "It is in the right perspective that we support the UPA government's nominated candidate for the post of President of India," he said.